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(Air Raid Precautions A.R.P)

I joined the A.R.P because otherwise I would have had to go into one of the services. I joined up as a Telephonist and Plotter and we used to have different stations in the churches.

I was at St Simons Church Hall, which happened to be right opposite from where my Aunt and Uncle lived and not far from my own home in Ladysmith Road.

I was walking down the road one evening, to report for duty, because if the siren went off you had to just turn up, when a piece of shell came within just an inch of my foot and fell in front of me.

It was eighteen inches long and I would guess four or five inches across, and had I moved just that little bit forward, it would have hit me. While we were on duty, the nurse there, used to make nets with a wooden hook, camouflage nets and I used to help her make them.

When I joined the A.R.P I was supplied with a service gas mask which was much more resilient than a civilian gas mask. We used to have to go into a room filled with gas to make sure they were working properly.

It was quite an experience back then, and very frightening when the bombs dropped. I felt we were quite lucky that our house only had an incendiary go in the roof - the men at the time put it out and it did no lasting damage thank God! The doodlebug was a bomb that used to come over and when it cut out it’s engine, it dropped and exploded.

I remember my husband Alfie’s parents house got hit by a doodlebug and the only thing left standing was my photograph and Confirmation dress. Fortunately nobody was at the house to get hurt at the time. It was completely empty when it got hit

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